"In the first leg of my match with Gary Anderson I was looking around the building thinking 'wow this is great'.

"Playing Barney last year, he was so nice to me before and after the game. I got a lot of plaudits and it's nice to hear good things but at 5-5 against Barney I remember thinking 'come on, now's your chance', but he then suddenly was 8-5 up before I knew it.

"This year I know what to expect and the focus is high. I want to go there and do really well. I am so excited for the Grand Slam."

Durrant travelled to Wolverhampton last year as a back-to-back World Masters champion, and went on to claim the BDO's biggest title in January at the Lakeside Championship.

"I can't begin to explain what a fantastic year it has been!" he reflected.

"I took the trophy to Middlesbrough football club, I've been awarded Teeside's sportsperson of the year and I've pretty much taken the trophy from John O'Groats to Lands End.

"I have enjoyed the year but I have been doing more exhibition work rather than competition play and probably not playing as well matchplay-wise as last year.

"But now the exhibition circuit is secondary and it's competition play all the way. This is the busiest time of the year and it's time to get the head down."

The bwin Grand Slam of Darts will be broadcast live on Sky Sports from November 11-19.

Tickets for the bwin Grand Slam of Darts are available through www.wolvescivic.co.uk or by calling 0870 320 7000.